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Alpha Version Of Skyfire Released To Limited BlackBerry Testers

Skyfire has made some waves in the mobile browser market on Windows Mobile and S60-based devices. Its key feature is Flash, which lets users of those devices view embedded video content on Web sites such as YouTube and Hulu. Now, Skyfire is working on a better browser for BlackBerries and the alpha testing is underway.

If you're a BlackBerry user, this is an exciting development. Third-party browsers for the BlackBerry platform are few and far between. The browser that ships on most BlackBerries -- homebrewed by RIM -- is passable, but not equal to the browsers of other smartphones.

This is why the news of a Skyfire alpha for BlackBerries is good indeed.

The fellas over at CrackBerry have spent some time with the alpha, and their initial report says that the browser shows promise.

The main Skyfire ingredients are all there: Facebook and Twitter integration, tabbed browsing, Flash, and video streaming. CrackBerry said some aspects of the browser are a little thin, but that's not unusual for something that's in alpha status. They also noted that the browser runs lickety-split on both 3G and EDGE networks (on Rogers in Canada).

I've used Skyfire on both S60 and Windows Mobile devices herein the U.S and Europe. It works very well, and is relatively speedy compared to other browsers I've used on those devices. The ability to watch videos on both YouTube and Hulu is real, and I even watched an entire episode of "Heroes" streamed from Hulu to a Nokia N95. Good stuff.

It appears as though Skyfire has already picked those it is using for alpha testing. There's been no word from Skyfire when it will offer a beta, nor if the beta will be available to a wider audience.

Until we hear from Skyfire, stay tuned and know that a better browsing experience for BlackBerries is on the way.

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